It’s another post season disappointment for the Detroit Tigers.
The fall air seemed to chill the Tigers' bats Sunday and a late rally in the ninth inning just wasn’t enough.
Baltimore’s Nelson Cruz sliced a two-run homer for his latest big postseason hit, and the Baltimore Orioles swept aside Detroit's Cy Young Award winners to hold off the Tigers 2-1 Sunday.
Bud Norris outpitched David Price in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. The Tigers scored in the ninth and put the tying run on second with no outs, but Orioles closer Zach Britton escaped the jam and lifted Buck Showalter into his first ALCS in 16 seasons as a big league manager.
Cruz's homer was the 16th of his postseason career, including eight against the Tigers. He was the MVP of the 2011 ALCS for Texas in a six-game victory over Detroit.
Cruz spent much of this past offseason without a team after serving a 50-game suspension last year for violating baseball's drug agreement.
Sunday’s win sealed a three-game sweep for the Orioles, who move on to the next round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Baltimore makes its first trip back to the American League Championship Series since 1997.
This was the Tigers' fourth straight trip to the post season and the fourth time their playoff run ended without a World Series crown.
